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UNISDR ONEA-GETI Newsletter 16: October-December 2017

In the last quarter of 2017, UNISDR GETI organized regional consultations towards a global strategy for capacity development; national planning and urban resilience training and events took place in China including Hong Kong, India and Korea; Mayors across the world were reached through Mayor’s Forum; Annual K-Safety participation featured 3 events: Korean cities, a high-level delegate event on DRR and SDG linkages, and technology for DRR to enhance public safety with public and private sectors; Training of trainers on understanding the Sendai Framework introduced the forthcoming Sendai Framework Monitor to participants from Africa, Arab States and Asia, including IGOs and NGOs; and a series of training for LDCs and SIDS with Singapore continued; The Korean school programme continued with positive impact in 2018.

ICLEI East Asia and UNISDR ONEA joined efforts with the Center of Science and Technology of Construction (CSTC), Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHUD) of the government of the People’s Republic of China for an orientation workshop on the local implementation of the Sendai Framework and to link with the ongoing efforts on climate change adaptation strategies in Chinese cities. Local strategies need coordination from different government sectors with participation of the public and adequate capacity was underscored at the workshop. Government officials from 11 cities learned about the Making Cities Resilient Campaign and its tools to assess the cities’ resilience and develop an integrated disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation strategy. Furthermore, local capacity on disaster risk reduction and inter-city cooperation was highlighted as a key component to reduce urban risk and increase the safety of cities.

New York City’s Experience with Hurricane Sandy Shows the Necessity of Tailored Solutions

“Disasters stimulated New York City to re-think the Resilience Strategy”, said Mr. Daniel A. Zarrilli, Senior Director, Climate Policy and Programs and Chief Resilience Officer in New York City at the UNISDR ONEA and ICLEI event at the Seoul Mayors Forum 2017. Further to the impact of Hurricane Sandy, which caused 90 billion dollars in damages and a great number of lives lost, New York City started thinking about how to become a stronger city, and how to prepare for the future to make sure that such damage will never happen again. The City also faces coastal hazard risk. With a specific budget allocation, the City is upgrading its coastal defenses and investing in new infrastructure which have never been placed in New York City before. Additionally, the City is upgrading building and zoning codes, re-prioritizing infrastructure and utilities facilities, and working with partners to share what they know about climate change. New York City’s Multi-Layer Resilience Strategy cuts across all the jurisdiction boundaries. “One of our key learning is that we cannot just pick up some solutions of other cities and put them in New York City”, stated Mr. Zarrilli. 16 months after Hurricane Sandy, the city understood the threats they faced, the solutions and funding streams that are available to the city. “It’s really important to think holistically about the threats we face, and the uniqueness of the city, and therefore the solutions need to be unique” he recommended to event participants.

Cities of Korea learn about the Disaster Resilient Scorecard for Cities

37 Korean cities attended UNISDR GETI annual event on the Making Cities Resilient Campaign. The event was an opportunity to share the new Campaign tools in Korean: The Disaster Resilient Scorecard for Cities and the Quick Risk Estimation tool. The Scorecard has two levels of assessment, the preliminary with 47 indicators and detailed assessment with 117 indicators. Cities can use either tool which allows the city to understand their current level of disaster resilience, increase awareness and understanding of resilience challenges, and enable the development of a city resilience action plan.

Learning about disaster risk reduction among Korean teachers and students

Throughout 2017, the DRR education programme for Korean students, a joint initiative of Incheon Metropolitan City and UNISDR ONEA-GETI, held 13 sessions and reached 526 students with the primary objective of creating a culture of prevention and resilience using UNISDR education materials translated in the local language. As the programme became more known to local communities with increasing demand, it became a good opportunity to broaden its reach to Korean educators, training them to become DRR educators to ultimately replicate the programme in their respective schools for students as well as other teachers. 13 training of trainers workshops for teachers were organized in close collaboration with the Office of Education of each province. The ToTs were well received by 583 teachers from 9 cities/provinces, representing 515 schools. UNISDR ONEA is also promoting the Worldwide Initiative for Safe School in Korea.

Disaster Risk Reduction: Building Resilience to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

During the third quarter of 2017, UNISDR ONEA-GETI continued its focus on developing capacity for understanding the Sendai Framework for national and local level implementation and DRR planning. Local governments of Mongolia advanced in building local resilience, as well as enterprises of Arise Philippines by using new Making Cities Resilient tools. Local governments including Incheon City and Gangwon Province of the Republic of Korea and UCLG members were also trained. New programmes with partners including KOICA and CDA-JICA reached more than 16 national governments. National academia of Russia was also trained as trainers on national and local training modules, which resulted in further dissemination of the training. Students studying various subjects in universities were also introduced to disaster risk reduction, and its alignment with the SDGs.

Technology for DRR: Public Safety Networks Call for Global Cooperation and Standards

The third annual joint SafeNet Forum, Korean Ministry of Interior and Safety and UNISDR ONEA-GETI international conference for the evolution of public safety networks, convened for the first time during the Korean K-Safety conference, gathered approximately 100 SafeNet Forum members and K-Safety attendees. This 2017 edition focused on Public Safety Networks and Services and brought together expert presentations and discussants from FirstNet (USA), BDBOS (Germany), Tetra and Critical Communications Association (TCCA), Public Safety Communications Europe (PSCE), Netherlands Police (mobile communication for public safety),and Japan Radio Center on how to resolve common issues of operation and deployment through collaboration, how to reduce disaster and business risk for mutual benefit and public-private partnership, and how to efficiently use and improve internationally recognized standards. The Sendai Framework and the SDGs were recognized as backbone global frameworks to guide related ICT for risk reduction and public safety policy.

Training of Trainers: Understanding the Sendai Framework and Introduction to Monitoring

During the third quarter of 2017, UNISDR ONEA-GETI continued its focus on developing capacity for understanding the Sendai Framework for national and local level implementation and DRR planning. Local governments of Mongolia advanced in building local resilience, as well as enterprises of Arise Philippines by using new Making Cities Resilient tools. Local governments including Incheon City and Gangwon Province of the Republic of Korea and UCLG members were also trained. New programmes with partners including KOICA and CDA-JICA reached more than 16 national governments. National academia of Russia was also trained as trainers on national and local training modules, which resulted in further dissemination of the training. Students studying various subjects in universities were also introduced to disaster risk reduction, and its alignment with the SDGs.

Consultations Identify Most Urgent Capacity Development Needs and Opportunities

UNISDR GETI convened regional and online consultations in collaboration with the UNISDR Regional Offices towards the development of a global capacity development strategy to support implementation of the Sendai Framework: 9-10 October: Arab States in Abu Dhabi; 26-27 October: Americas in Panama; 1-2 November: Africa in Incheon; 6-7 November: Asia-Pacific in Bangkok. The events complemented previous discussions and consultations gathering over 150 total representatives from 38 Member States, in addition to local government, IGOs, UN and international organizations, NGOs, academia, and private sector. The consultations have identified the most urgent capacity development needs for Sendai Framework implementation and disaster risk sensitive development planning among countries, and highlighted opportunities to address the needs. The outcomes will contribute to a global strategy for all stakeholders, anticipated by mid-2018.

The two-day workshop focused on the development of DRR strategies and plans in the Arab Region co-convened with the UNISDR Regional Office for Arab States and the Government the United Arab Emirates brought together 14 government and stakeholder representatives from Lebanon, Palestine, Sudan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, the League of Arab States and the city of Aqaba, Jordan. The workshop was held back-to-back with the Arab States global capacity development strategy consultation and provided an opportunity to more deeply explore the Sendai Framework targets and draft custom national indicators for coherent development planning at national level, as well as in coherence with the Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 at regional level. National experience in implementing disaster loss databases, DRR strategies and action plans, and establishing National Platforms for Disaster Risk Reduction were shared.

International Day for Disaster Reduction in Hong Kong: Symposium held on Making Cities Resilient

In celebration of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in partnership with UNISDR ONEA-GETI hosted the Symposium “Making Cities Resilient: Experiences from Australia, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Taiwan”. The cities of Cairns, Australia and Makati City, Philippines, both campaign role models, shared their experiences of using the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities to assess their DRR and Resilience performance. The PolyU have also adopted the Scorecard to conduct the assessment of Hong Kong’s resilience becoming the first example of bottom-up approach using this tool.

The workshop co-organized with the Singapore Cooperation Programme, Nanyang Technological University and UNISDR GETI held 2-5 October, convened 25 senior government officials from LDCs and SIDS to better understand the Sendai Framework in coherence with SDG implementation, its global targets and draft custom national indicators, and action planning for long-term risk-informed development. The sessions covered a number of topics, including Singapore’s experience with insurance, urban planning (Urban Redevelopment Authority URA), health emergency management (Singapore General Hospital) and critical infrastructure for sustainable development (NEWater plant). Participants appreciated how their learning will assist them to facilitate and participate in these processes in their own countries.

UNISDR ONEA-GETI Newsletter 15: July-September 2017

During the third quarter of 2017, UNISDR ONEA-GETI continued its focus on developing capacity for understanding the Sendai Framework for national and local level implementation and DRR planning. Local governments of Mongolia advanced in building local resilience, as well as enterprises of Arise Philippines by using new Making Cities Resilient tools. Local governments including Incheon City and Gangwon Province of the Republic of Korea and UCLG members were also trained. New programmes with partners including KOICA and CDA-JICA reached more than 16 national governments. National academia of Russia was also trained as trainers on national and local training modules, which resulted in further dissemination of the training. Students studying various subjects in universities were also introduced to disaster risk reduction, and its alignment with the SDGs.

Sendai Framework reaching all Provinces in Mongolia

Following UNISDR GETI training in Mongolia, the cities of Darkhan and Erdenet - the second and third largest cities in Mongolia - have started to implement the 10 Essentials for Making Cities Resilient which are aligned with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Some examples of tangible disaster risk reduction actions in Darkhan are the construction of a citizens learning center to increase their capacity and use for preparedness drills. The next action will be the retrofitting of critical infrastructure in the city. In Erdenet, specific budget has been allocated for disaster risk reduction activities. “The land shape of the Erdenet is extremely vulnerable to floods, therefore it is important to build our capacity for engineering aspects in infrastructure” said Colonel G. Ganbaatar, Director of Emergency Management Department of Orkhon Province at the meeting with UNISDR representatives. The officials recognized that they still need to finance more to fix the water basin, roads, bridges and dams. “We have allocated budget for those constructions, which is a part of city budget for disaster risk reduction activities.”

Arise Philippines: Promoting Resilience of Small Business Enterprises

140 Small and Medium Enterprises responded to the call of Arise Philippines to get together and discover a fresh approach to building a disaster-resilient business. Inspired by the words of Mr. Hans Sy, President of SM Prime Holdings, Inc., on the critical importance of resilient investments made by SM Malls to protect investment that also protect people’s lives, participants learned about disaster risk reduction and shared good practices. Huawei’s corporate communication acknowledged the Quick Risk Estimation Tool shared at the workshop as user-friendly and easy to understand – “definitely a tool that will help enterprises to better understand risk scenarios and to be better prepare when disaster strikes.”

2017-2019 KOICA-UNISDR Programme Kicks Off

The 2017 session of a three-year KOICA-UNISDR Joint Fellowship Programme on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation for Sustainable Development kicked off this June with partner NDTI. 18 representatives from Cameroon, Ghana, Indonesia, Mozambique, Philippines and Sri Lanka from DRR and climate change focal ministries, statistics offices and ministries of environment and planning, developed DRR action plans towards risk-informing national policies during the 5-day component on national Sendai Framework implementation at UNISDR GETI. Participants continued at NDTI for two weeks to learn about Korean disaster risk management, with a focus on flood and seismic risk.

UNISDR GETI joined the joint CDA-JICA programme on disaster risk reduction and disaster management at CDA in Singapore 17-18 August as part of a 2-week course. 17 officials representing various disaster and risk management departments from Brunei, Cambodia, Fiji, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Palestine and Vietnam gathered to understand the Sendai Framework Disaster Risk Reduction and its priorities for action, including preparedness and “Build Back Better”. Participants developed draft DRR action plans through exploration of case studies and draft Sendai Framework Monitor national custom indicators.

Incheon City, UCLG and Arab States Trains Trainers for Local and National Resilience Building

15 diverse local and national DRR advocates joined together for a UNISDR GETI training of trainers on local Sendai Framework implementation using Making Cities Resilient Quick Risk Estimation and Resilience Scorecard tools. They came from the Union of Municipalities of Zghorta, Lebanon; the Center for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe, Egypt; Khartoum State, Sudan; UNDP Tunisia; Makati City, Philippines; the South Southwest Sub-region, United Cities and Local Governments Asia Pacific; Association of District Development Committees of Nepal; Municipal Association of Bangladesh; AIILSG, India. Representatives from Incheon Metropolitan City Disaster and Safety Division participated and shared host city experience. The UNISDR GETI workshop was co-organized with the UNISDR Office for Arab States, and held at GETI.

The Case for Risk-informed Development Reaches SKKU Global Governance Master’s for Government Officials

Gangwon-do Province: Working Hard to Become a Role Model City

Through UNISDR ONEA-GETI consultation and in partnership with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MoIS) of the Republic of Korea, officials of Gangwon Province were trained for better understanding of the Sendai Framework, SDGs and the Making Cities Resilient (MCR) Campaign. Gangwon-do Province, where the 2018 Winter Olympics host city of Pyeongchang is located, has committed to join the campaign to show its strong willingness to build safer cities to prepare for the games, and high interest to become a Role Model City.

Seoul National University Stimulates Disaster Risk and Resilience Thinking

70 Seoul National University students participated in an interactive discussion following a UNISDR GETI guest lecture on understanding disaster risk and actions that can be taken across sectors, society and by citizens to understand and reduce risk and build a resilient and sustainable future. One student observed that “it is really important to become aware of risk and prepare, although risk may not be seen”.

Russia Increases Capacity for Reducing Disaster Risk at National, Local Levels and Academia

Three Russian Federation officials including the national Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction focal point, the Deputy Head of the All-Russian Research Institute for Civil Defense and Emergencies under EMERCOM of Russia and Chief Researcher and Advocate of the UNISDR Global Campaign Making Cities Resilient campaign gathered together with three partners from the People’s Friendship University of Russia (RUDN), including the Dean of Faculty, for a training of trainers on Sendai Framework implementation at national and local levels. In follow-up to the training co-convened in Moscow in January, EMERCOM aims to ramp up knowledge and use of the Disaster Resilience Scorecard in two cities this October, while RUDN aims to embed disaster risk reduction in its research agenda and courses reaching students from over 150 countries.

UNISDR ONEA-GETI Newsletter 14: April-June 2017

During the second quarter of 2017, UN member states and stakeholders gathered for an initial consultation on a global capacity development strategy for implementation of the Sendai Framework during the 2017 Global Platform in Cancun, where the importance of and needs for capacity development were heard. The quarter also saw 5 GETI Trainings of Trainers: for global experts and advocates on new Making Cities Resilient (MCR) campaign tools in partnership with Deloitte, and for Central Asia in partnership with CESDRR at GETI; in Croatia with DPPI-SEE for member countries; in Mauritius with NDRRMC; and in Mongolia with NEMA. More training followed among local authorities in 3 Mongolian cities, and in Catbalogan, Philippines, local authorities committed to sign up to the MCR campaign and implement the Sendai Framework. In Mauritius, the follow-up TOT gathered both local and national government, and the first private sector workshop reached businesses across the island state. Technology for DRR was also key during the 1st APDRC Interactive Innovation Workshop with IFRC.

Towards a Global Capacity Development Strategy for Sendai Framework Implementation

On the occasion of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction 2017 in Cancun, UNISDR GETI facilitated an initial consultative session towards the development of a Global Capacity Development Strategy to Implement the Sendai Framework. The critical importance for this strategy and the great demand for capacity development initiatives, including training, and the dearth of existing initiatives, were acknowledged. Three priorities areas were discussed: (i) Risk Information: Collect, understand and use loss and risk information (Disaster loss databases). The lack of Information on economics’ of resilience and the need for cost-benefit analysis and the gap in having risk information on more extensive risk and to capacitate decision makers for its understanding were highlighted. (ii) Sendai Framework Target (e) and disaster risk informed development plans. Participants underscored that developing capacity comes with ownership of the tools. Regional trainings are needed, not only with disaster management authorities but representatives from all ministries, in order to build an integrated understanding of local needs and the policy/planning strategies to address them. (iii) Sendai Framework Monitoring: Capacity is needed to understand coherent DRR and SDG implementation, monitoring and reporting. It was recommended that capacity building should be aligned to national plans and to increase sharing between countries (South-South cooperation) and to promote success stories.

A Training of Trainers for roll-out of new Making Cities Resilient (MCR) Tools were held at UNISDR GETI in Incheon. The Quick Risk Estimation (QRE) tool developed by UNISDR and Deloitte aims at identifying current and future risks and exposure threats to both human and physical assets. The QRE Tool is not a full-scale risk assessment, but rather a multi-stakeholder engagement process to establish common understanding. An updated version of the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities was shared with participants of the training. The tool is structured around UNISDR’s Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient. It provides a set of assessments that will allow local governments to monitor and review progress and challenges in the implementation of the Sendai Framework and assess their disaster resilience. It was developed by UNISDR with the support of European Commission, IBM, AECOM and other partners and cities participating in the Making Cities Resilient Campaign.

The City of Catbalogan, Philippines, host to the UCLG regional conference in April 2017, took advantage of the expert participants to share their experience with local government authorities of Region VIII, Eastern Visayas, at the concurrent and first Sendai Framework Implementation at the Local Level workshop in the region. Over 80 participants, including mayors, director of the Regional Office of Civil Defense, experts from national and city governments, academia and local officers committed to the ‘Making Cities Resilient’ campaign, shared experience, and built capacity on the use of campaign tools for local disaster risk reduction planning. Among the experts, Director General Fumihiro Otsuki, City Planning Policy Bureau, City of Sendai, Japan shared experience on the reconstruction of Sendai following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.

Mauritius Connects Private Sector and Government for Disaster Resilience

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Centre (NDRRMC) of the Republic of Mauritius together with UNISDR GETI and the Regional Office for Africa gathered 60 representatives of the local and national government and the business sector during two workshops over five days to increase mutual understanding of disaster and climate risk and develop action plans. The workshops were a follow-up activity of the NDRRMC and outcome of the first NDRRMC-GETI workshop in 2016.

Impact Result in Localizing the Sendai Framework in Ulaanbaatar, Edernet and Darkhan Cities

With the vision to support cities in Mongolia to develop their local DRR plans, a second workshop with the city officials from three major cities of Mongolia on the local Implementation of Sendai Framework took place in Ulaanbaatar. Cities reported their progress and challenges in developing their Local DRR plans, among them, the new establishment of a dedicated emergency commission, by the order of the governor, on DRR issues has been included in the disaster protection plan. Such training has influenced DRR in their cities: Edernet city has mapped the disasters by type of hazard and some budget has been allocated for disaster risk reduction, in particular for preventive measures for flash floods; a sub-council on Earthquake prevention was also established. The series of workshops have been the result of close collaboration between the office of the Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia, the National Emergency Management Agency of Mongolia and UNISDR.

Fostering the Capacity of NEMA’s staff in 9 Provinces of Mongolia

NEMA staff from Uvurkhangai, Dornod, Govisumber, Dornogobi, Dundgobi, Khenti, Ummugobi, Sukhbaatar and Bayankhongor of Mongolia attended UNISDR GETI TOT to continue learning about the Sendai Framework, get familiarized with the new tools of MCR Campaign and share experience. The Cities reported good progress aligned with the 10 Essentials of the Making Cities Resilient Campaign. The Uvurkhangai Province agreed to carry out a risk assessment with relevant agencies. The Sendai Framework is also expected to be reflected in the master plans of the provinces to improve the resilience of the citizens.

The Almaty Centre for Emergency Situations and Disaster Risk Reduction Trains More Trainers

Following the UNISDR GETI training of trainers on Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction implementation at national level during the first Central Asian and South Caucuses Sub-Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2016, the Almaty Centre (CESDRR) committed to increase the knowledge and capacity of its trainers to support Sendai Framework understanding, implementation and monitoring throughout the region in Russian language. Nine CESDRR staff as well as representatives of Kyrgyzstan joined the UNISDR GETI training in Incheon, Republic of Korea, together with representatives from the UNISDR Office for Europe and Central Asia.

Member countries of the DPPI-SEE countries Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Turkey gathered in Croatia 25-27 April 2017 to train a second corps of 17 officials in understanding the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and how to develop disaster risk reduction action plans in the second DPPI-SEE UNISDR GETI and Regional Office for Europe training of trainers workshop, in collaboration with the National Protection and Rescue Directorate (DUZS) of Croatia.

UNISDR GETI shared lessons and opportunities for disaster risk reduction innovation, including the global disaster risk reduction policy innovations of the Sendai Framework, as part of the IFRC Asia Pacific Disaster Resilience Centre's Resilience Innovation Initiative (RII) at the 1st Interactive Innovation Workshop on 11 May 2017. Innovations highlighted DRR policy coherence and approaches with the SDGs and the Paris Agreement, as well as ‘Making Cities Resilient’ cases on using technology for disaster risk reduction in Korea, Ghana, Indonesia, the UK and the US.

UNISDR ONEA-GETI Newsletter 13: January-March 2017

The first quarter of 2017 saw numerous events, including: The first multi-sectoral workshop for understanding the Sendai Framework was implemented in the Maldives. The first six Russian Federation communities received training based on the Sendai Framework and joined the Making Cities Resilient campaign. City officials of Mashhad and Shiraz, Iran, got trained on urban risk reduction and resilience. Local authorities and civil society representatives from Suyeong District in Busan, Republic of Korea, learned about the Sendai Framework and activities conducted by UNISDR ONEA-GETI and MPSS. To enhance education of world practitioners in disaster risk management, UNISDR ONEA-GETI and UNITAR opened the online course on new round of the Resilience Action Planning. The first Sogang University Model (SGMUN) UN delegates, observers and secretariat had mock negotiations and UN resolutions under the guidance of UNISDR ONEA-GETI.

Boosting Sendai Framework Implementation in Bulgaria, Georgia and DPPI SEE member countries

Strong commitment and national engagement of the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior, DPPI SEE member countries and expert teams to support the harmonization of the existing national disaster risk reduction plans and strategies with Sendai Framework was the result of a two-days training of trainers. UNISDR Europe, UNISDR's GETI and Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence of NATO (CMDR COE) joined efforts to increase Sendai Implementation understanding in Bulgaria, Georgia, but also Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro Serbia, Slovenia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Ulaanbaatar City officials working towards their Local Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy

As follow-up to Ulaanbaatar City's commitment to the Making Cities Resilient Campaign, government officials got together to understand the tools and methodology to advance the development of their disaster risk reduction strategy. Ulaanbaatar is also one of the first 20 cities in various regions of the world being supported by a UNISDR and European Commission programme to develop and establish disaster risk reduction strategies among the others involved in the Asia-Pacific region. The workshop was jointly organized by UNISDR’s GETI, the National Emergency Management Agency of Mongolia and Ulaanbaatar City.

Assam state of India is prone to be exposed to multiple hazards and vulnerable to climate variability. The training aimed at enhancing the capacity of trainees on implementation of the Sendai Framework at local level. The trained personnel will be available to provide technical expertise to meet existing needs. 80 Officials and practitioners were trained. The training was jointly organized by UNICEF, Assam State Disaster Mitigation Authority (ASDMA) in association with UNISDR GETI.

Russian Cities joins Making Cities Resilient campaign

Russia’s oldest city and another that will host matches in the 2018 football World Cup are among the first six communities in the Russian Federation to join UNISDR’s Making Cities Resilient campaign. Officials from the six cities participated in January, in a two-day training exercise based on the Sendai Framework .The training was co-organized by the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters (EMERCOM), the UNISDR Regional Office for Europe and the UNISDR Global Education and Training Institute (GETI). Follow-up training plans include training trainers with Russian universities.

Maldives prioritizes partnerships for coherent SDG and DRR action

In partnership with the Maldives National Disaster Management Center, a milestone workshop on understanding the Sendai Framework was held with 30 participants across multiple ministries with an emphasis on ensuring national and local plans are disaster risk-informed and implemented in coherence with the SDGs the Paris Climate Agreement. During the workshop, participants had the opportunity to develop a draft action plan.

Mashhad continues exemplary actions as Role Model City through capacity development

105 city officials of Mashhad and Shiraz, Iran gathered for training on urban risk reduction and resilience, co-organized by UNISDR-GETI and Mashhad Municipality. Officials learned about how to develop a City Resilience Action Plan and became familiar with the tools and resources of UNISDR Making Cities Resilient Global Campaign. Mashhad is actively working on key policies and legislation to promote disaster risk reduction and management towards achieving sustainable development of the city.

A two-day intensive training course were held at UNISDR’s GETI training facilities in Incheon intended for the Newcastle University the Head of CIFAL UNITAR and the East Asia Office of ICLEI. The training course on the Implementation of Sendai Framework used the Making Cities Resilient Campaign tools to lear the initial steps towards developing Disaster Risk Reduction Plans. The UNISDR GETI materials will be used for the Graduate Certificate in Disaster Risk Reduction of Newcastle and CIFAL UNITAR Australia. As result, ICLEI East Asia and UNISDR ONEA are working together for one day capacity programme in China and at the Mayors Forum to be held in Seoul in 2017.

Suyeong District, Busan reconfirmed their aspiration to become resilient city

In 15 March 2017, approximately 150 local authorities and civil society representatives from Suyeong District, part of the Busan Metropolitan City in the Republic of Korea, gathered to learn about the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Participants learned about the key responsibilities of the local government and local private and public sectors in prevention and disaster risk reduction, as well as the activities of and partnership between UNISDR ONEA-GETI and MPSS to support Korean cities in Making Cities Resilient.

Making school and society safe

132 students from Chadwick International School in Songdo, Incheon received Disaster Risk Reduction education which was about ‘making school and society safe’. The program was based on a dice game called Risk Land and a group discussion. Through this Disaster Risk Reduction education, students could learned about the disasters that could occur in their city and what they have to do to protect themselves and their family before, during, after disaster events.

Students experienced UN’s effort for Disaster Risk Reduction in SGMUN

Under UNISDR ONEA guidance, Sogang University Model (SGMUN) UN delegates, observers and secretariat gathered to gain experience through mock negotiations and drafting two mock UN resolutions on transfer of DRR technology and development of disaster risk reduction strategies at the national level. The SGMUN Secretary-General said, "Students were very motivated and learned about disaster preparedness and how international organizations work together to implement the Sendai Framework”. Among 60 mostly Korean university participants, 9 were from high school and 7 were from outside of Korea.

Join a growing cohort of international participants in Resilience Action Planning – Implementing the Sendai Framework at the Local Level. This online course open to city and local government officials, disaster management professionals, and representatives from academic and training institutions working on disaster risk reduction is part of UNISDR ONEA-GETI and UNITAR’s efforts to enhance education and learning of world practitioners in disaster risk management. The interactive 6-module course introduces participants to the conceptual foundations of disaster risk reduction and urban resilience, uses case studies to demonstrate implementation of the Sendai Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals at local level, and the UNISDR Making Cities Resilient global campaign tools: the Ten Essentials and draft Local Urban Indicators for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience. The next sessions offered in English and Spanish run 27 Feb - 2 June 2017.

UNISDR ONEA-GETI Newsletter 12: October-December 2016

Over 2,500 were reached in 50 UNISDR ONEA-GETI workshops and events during 2016 in the Republic of Korea and globally in support of national and local Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction implementation, including the development of plans and strategies. 22 events for school programme reached Korean school principals, teachers and children as a contribution to the Worldwide Initiative on Safe Schools. Highlights of last quarter of 2016 include: training of trainers to DRR professionals from across the Americas; a joint Singapore-GETI event for 18 developing countries and SIDS; Local DRR plan and strategy training for officials in Mongolia, Philippines and the Republic of Korea - plus the sign-up of 3 Mongolian and 7 Korean cities to the global Making Cities Resilient campaign; The Pacific private sector got active in Munda, Solomon; State-of-the-art tech for DRR was the topic at smart and resilient city events; and the Korean National University of Education has committed to teacher training on DRR.

UNISDR GETI and the Office in the Americas trains 35 professionals in Disaster Risk Reduction planning

Thirty-five professionals in disaster risk management from 16 countries of the Americas successfully completed their training in structuring disaster risk reduction plans within the framework of the international programme promoted by the Global Education and Training Institute (GETI), the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) training body. Among the global targets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 is to significantly increase the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020, with an expected increase in the regional demand for specialized technical training, such as the training provided by this intensive 35-hour programme.

Technology: the future of disaster risk reduction?

Fast-paced tech developments have the potential to help the world rein in the impact of natural and human-induced hazards, notably when it comes to tackling urban risk. The annual Korean Making Cities Resilient event, held at the annual K-Safety expo, drew 222 officials from 176 Korean cities for a special ‘Tech for DRR’ seminar in partnership with ICLEI, KAIST and POSTECH.

Singapore and UNISDR boost developing countries' Sendai capacity

Singapore and UNISDR have renewed their partnership to strengthen the disaster risk management capacity of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and other developing countries that are vulnerable to natural disasters and are on the front line of climate change. A joint specialised training course provided practical support and knowledge for the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction to participants from 18 countries, namely Bahrain, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Djibouti, Ecuador, Fiji, India, Jordan, Mauritius, Nauru, the Philippines, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Timor-Leste, and Togo.

Provinces, Cities, and Municipalities of Bicol Region, Philippines Embrace the Local Implementation of the Sendai Framework

Over 85 mayors from the entire Bicol region gathered together to learn and share local approaches and measures to manage and reduce risk and to enhance recovery planning. The UNISDR GETI Workshop organized with the leadership of Ms Madelaine Yorobe Alfelor, Mayor of Iriga City and Ms Violeta Seva, UNISDR Advocator for Making Cities Resilient Campaign and in collaboration with the International Recovery Platform and UN Habitat was an opportunity for the Mayors of Bicol Region to sign up for MCR campaign and expressed their commitment to promote resilient towns and communities in their respective localities.

Mongolian cities tackle disaster risk

Curbing deaths from disasters requires local authorities and other community partners to raise their capacity to manage risks and thereby ensure safe and sustainable development for their citizens. In Mongolia, the government has committed not only to national action but also to fostering cities’ capacity.
Deputy Prime Minister Khurelsukh encouraged the mayors of the three cities to integrate disaster risk reduction into local development policy and urban planning and implement it.

Incheon City Honorary Citizen Diplomats ready to play their role

29 members of the Incheon Honorary Citizen Diplomats Association representing seven of ten districts of Incheon Metropolitan City were convened by the city to learn about the importance of understanding disaster risk, risk reduction approaches, global policy and local tools for implementation.

Munda Island built the Business Case for Disaster Risk Reduction

the UNISDR GETI and the UNISDR Pacific Office’s training of this kind was first ever in that part of Solomon Islands, which brought practical tools for businesses to learn about disaster risk management and to strengthen collaboration with each other as neighbouring businesses on a small island. Key areas for concrete actions such as reinvesting in safer infrastructure, securing back-up storage in safe locations, identifying alternate work sites, back-up power supplies and implementing scenarios and drills for staff and guests were recognized by businesses.

Yangcheon-gu: Becoming a resilient city

Yangcheon-gu, a district of metropolitan Seoul, already has programmes emphasizing the needs of the elderly and disabled, and disaster and safety preparedness and planning. A 31 October workshop boosted their disaster risk reduction knowledge and shared how to share their experience via the Making Cities Resilient campaign.

Incheon City Officials ‘Prepared, Aware and Ready’

100 Incheon City officials met on 11 October to celebrate the International Day for Disaster Reduction and learn how disaster risk reduction supports Incheon’s plan for resilience and motto: ‘Be Prepared. The 2016 campaign will seek to create a wave of awareness about actions taken to reduce mortality around the world. During this workshop, participants will also reflect on how Incheon is improving how people are becoming more risk informed.

Tech for DRR: Smart City Apps for Resilience

On day two of the Smart Cities Conference under Stream One on Smart Governance, UNISDR ONEA-GETI brought its Tech for DRR seminar series to the conference to share Smart Apps for early warning, preparedness and risk mapping from Making Cities Resilient cities from Indonesia, Korea, Ghana, the UK and US, and opportunities for using tech to implement the Sendai Framework and SDGs.

132 participants attended a series of workshops held in Cairns, Mackay and Townsville, Australia organized by UNISDR GETI and the Northern Queensland Primary Health Network. Traditionally, the health response activities post-disaster have focused on immediate trauma and communicable diseases. This focus remains despite the actual risk of post-disaster communicable disease outbreaks being low, particularly in developed countries. The purpose of the workshop was to facilitate integration of the primary healthcare sector into disaster management.

Korean National University of Education (KNUE) commits DRR to curriculum

The KNUE President has signed an agreement with the UNISDR GETI for the cooperation of school safety education programmes. In the future, the two organizations will work together to educate future principals and teachers. On the occasion, a primer in teaching disaster risk reduction in the classroom was attended by over 200 second-year teachers’ college students.

Education Reduces Disaster Risk

Did you know that students of all ages can participate effectively in school and community safety measures and work with teachers and other adults to minimize risk before, during and after disasters? The Incheon City ‘Towards a Culture of Prevention for Korean Students’ training programme has kicked off with national interest.

UNISDR ONEA-GETI Newsletter 11: July-September 2016

In this quarter, UNISDR and the Republic of Korea sign a US$10 million agreement to strengthen global capacity development. The 3 Korean cities of Ulsan, Busan and Gwangju participated in training on the local implementation of Sendai Framework, and 4 new Korean cities joined the UNISDR Making Cities Resilient Campaign: Cheongyang, Mokpo, Dalseo-gu, Seo-gu District - bringing the total of participating Korean cities to 152. ONEA-GETI’s school programme in Incheon began expanding towards fostering a DRR educator programme for students all across Korea. Across the global, ONEA-GETI supported capacity development of national focal points of 7 Central Asia and South Caucasus countries, LDCs and SIDS from 5 continents in Singapore, the private sector in the Philippines and in Malaysia and co-organized with UCLG ASPAC an event for local authorities at the Habitat III PrepCom3 in Surabaya, Indonesia. ONEA-GETI also hosted the Iran delegation of Mashhad City and 27 Indonesian Masters of Health students for training in its Songdo facilities in collaboration with trained trainers from Griffith University of Australia.

Korea gives US$10 million boost to Sendai Framework implementation

UNISDR has signed a five-year, US$10 million agreement with the Ministry of Public Safety and Security and Incheon Metropolitan City of the Republic of Korea to support education and training for disaster risk reduction. The signing of the agreement coincided with a visit by UNISDR Director Ms. Kirsi Madi, who said: “This is an example of international cooperation at its best. The Korean Government’s hosting and support for the UNISDR ONEA-GETI is helping to spread a culture of disaster risk reduction around the world and in the region."

Mashhad City Increasing capacity to Implement Sendai Framework

High-level government officials from Iran, headed by Deputy Mayor of Mashhad city, Iran Mr Majid Pirasteh Boroujeni, and officials and experts from Mashhad city together with other local actors received training at UNISDR ONEA-GETI. The workshop aimed at enhancing their knowledge and skills in designing and delivering training for cities/local governments on DRR. Training emphasized the local aspects of the Sendai Framework and the draft Local Urban Indicators tool.

Ulsan City Aspires to Become Resilient Role Model

Ulsan Metropolitan City, Republic of Korea aspires to become a role model city in Making Cities Resilient and leading by example – commits to develop knowledge and capacity of its city officials, NGOs and communities, and share international experience in implementing Sendai Framework at local level.

The newly established inter-governmental ‘Centre for Emergency Situations and Disaster Risk Reduction' aims to partner and replicate the first-ever UNISDR ONEA-GETI training in the CASC region for national Sendai Framework focal points and representatives from ministries of emergency situations, economy, development, planning, environment, education and health together with regional IGOs, CSOs and UN.

Cities step up to prevent risk for an effective New Urban Agenda

Local Governments participating in the PrepCom3 of Habitat III in Surabaya, Indonesia - a country committed to reduce risk – have learned about the local aspects of the Sendai Framework. A special session reviewed the key top priorities for local governments to implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 while building coherence with the New Urban agenda and the SDGs. Local authorities gave concrete examples on how they develop and implement disaster risk management practices in their cities and respective organizations and also innovative solutions.

Global learning from Singapore experience

The Singapore Cooperation Programme and Nanyang Technological University teamed up with UNISDR ONEA-GETI to convene 35 government officials representing over 25 countries from all 5 continents to build understanding of the Sendai Framework and learn from Singapore’s experience in disaster risk reduction, in formulating adaptation measures and building resilience in the community.

Learning on health aspects of disaster risk reduction

Making health and disaster risk reduction a priority: 27 Masters of Health Promotion students and 3 lecturers from Indonesian Hasanuddin University (UNHAS) from Makassar, South Sulawesi met at UNISDR ONEA-GETI for an introduction to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and Environmental Health and Disaster Management training by Griffith University.

First step toward fostering DRR educators for students in Korea

The first-ever workshop on disaster risk reduction held in Korea exclusively for teachers aimed to introduce disaster risk reduction (DRR) concepts, exercises, and good practices to teachers so that they can become DRR educators for their respective students – who, in turn, can spread the effect to the parents and communities. The basic idea presented is that comprehensive disaster risk reduction and resilience-building can only take place when the whole school is involved - starting with students and teachers. The programme can be very successful if students are encouraged to actively take the lead on some of the activities and support teachers to make it possible.

Implementing the Ten Essentials for Resilient Cities

Busan’s geographic location poses several types of disaster risks. With three sides of the city bordering the sea, Busan is vulnerable to typhoons and torrential rains. On Monday, 30 August, 2016, 18 city officials from Busan Metropolitan city gathered to learn about the UNISDR Making Cities Resilient: ‘My city is getting ready!’ disaster resilience campaign and its ‘Ten Essentials for Resilient Cities’ checklist to strengthen disaster risk management and Sendai Framework implementation within their city.

Successful practices of disaster risk management in the Republic of Korea were shared to municipal districts of Gwangju Metropolitan City.

Through UNISDR Making Cities Resilient (MCR): “My city is getting ready!” campaign, Gwangju Metropolitan City officials learned about the successful practices for the disaster risk management in the Republic of Korea. The participant representing Buk-gu district, shared their experiences to improve the Ten Essentials for MCR. On 2016, Buk-gu started 20 crisis management programme including raising awareness of disaster prevention and development of safety map of the city. Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, local schools and parents is key partners for the safety map project, and the purpose of this map is to protect the schools and homes from risk elements that may turn in to disaster. ONEA-GETI also introduced its school programmes and encouraged participation from local teachers and students.

UNISDR ONEA-GETI Newsletter 10: April-June 2016

Implementation of the Sendai Framework is taking roots in Bangladesh, Croatia, Mauritius, Mexico, Russian Federation with support of ONEA-GETI capacity programme for strengthen or development national or local disaster risk reduction plans. Through ONEA-GETI affiliated partners’ countries with similar risk profiles such as Cambodia, Côte d'lvoire, Laos, Senegal and Uganda also benefited of good practices and tools such as the draft local urban indicators. Sendai Framework for Children is now available in Korean. New e-Learning course on – Resilient Action planning, the Sendai Framework and its linkages with the SDGs by UNITAR. See new resources and follow our incoming workshops with business partners in Philippines and Malaysia through our calendar.

Supporting governments and stakeholders for implementing and monitoring of the Sendai Framework

Disaster risk reduction practitioners from Asia, Pacific and Latin America, representing different stakeholders from local governments, the private sector, academia and UNISDR, met at ONEA-GETI facilities in Incheon, Republic of Korea, for one week of training on the national and local implementation of the Sendai Framework. One day was dedicated to the private sector with the programme of the Business Case for Disaster Risk Reduction. This aims to integrate risk management into business practice and to reduce the cost of the business continuity plans while increasing profit.

Ambitious plans for expansion of ONEA-GETI capacity programme in The Russian Federation

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (MoES)/EMERCOM has officially designated and mandated the Federal Science and High Technology Center (FSHTC) as a key focal point in Russia for the introduction and scaling up of the country’s Making Cities Resilient Campaign. Together with a team of 18 national trainers from the Bauman Moscow State Technical University (BSTU), the country would be able to scale up the UNISDR ONEA-GETI training modules for local implementation of the Sendai Framework.

Croatia steps-up to implement Sendai Framework

The Government of Croatia took action to build their capacity and to develop their national action plan for implementation of the Sendai Framework. ONEA-GETI together with the UNISDR Office for Europe supported these efforts. The National Protection and Rescue Directorate of Croatia shared the importance of national Disaster Risk Assessment and the new obligations for local government.

Lessons save lives – Korean youths using the Sendai Framework for Children

Disaster risk reduction and resilience education for children and youth is a priority for the Government of Korea. Today, Incheon metropolitan city and ONEA-GETI are working together to achieve this important goal. 192 students received the school programme of ONEA-GETI and the children and teachers committed to further share their new knowledge with their schoolmates. A TOT for school teachers would be an option to further expand the successful programme to other cities in Korea.

Global DRR Technology Platform

The Inha University in Incheon presented at the ONEA-GETI Technology for DRR Seminar their recently Web-based Platform for Global DRR Technology (www.pr4gdm.org) ). The site is a project of the Korean Ministry of Public Safety and Security that promotes an online community of practice with practical information on DRR technology available from the private sector to support problem solving through DRR case studies using technology. This platform primarily is directed to serve Southeast Asian countries, but also aims to support global DRR technology outreach.

Towards a national strategy for disaster risk reduction in Mauritius

ONEA-GETI supported the sustainable advancement of capacity development initiatives within Mauritius and pilot testing of draft Sendai Framework indicators at a national level by the Mauritius National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Centre (NDRRMC). National strategies are a first critical step to achieving other global targets of the Sendai Framework. A multi-sector participation from the Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development, and Disaster and Beach Management allowed for a coordination on the implementation of the Sendai Framework and to ensure appropriate linkages with the sustainable development goals.

Urban risk reduction high in the agenda in Bangladesh

Enhancing knowledge and skills in disaster risk management is key for the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief of Bangladesh. The country’s face significant challenges of future urbanization in cities like Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna and Rajshahi. ONEA-GETI responded to the call for strengthening local government capacities using draft local urban indicators which provides specific actions to integrate disaster risk reduction into development planning.

Enhancing capacity in countries with similar risk profiles

NDTI-KOICA and ONEA-GETI enabling capacity of 17 government officials from Cambodia, Cote d’Ivoire, Laos, Senegal and Uganda received on how to use the Sendai Framework tools and strengthen or develop their national plans and strategies for coherent disaster risk reduction, climate change and sustainable development goals implementation. Participants developed draft national action plans and were introduced to use draft local urban indicators.

Kick off of local disaster risk reduction plans in Chiapas, Mexico

Mexico will host the Fifth Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction from 22-26 May 2017. The implementation of the Sendai Framework is a strong priority for the Mexican Government, and the state government of Chiapas committed to support the development of the local plans in all its municipalities by 2017. In this context, the School of Civil Protection in Chiapas in collaboration with UNISDR Office for the Americas and ONEA-GETI lead the capacity of the local implementation of the Sendai Framework to government officials representing 122 municipalities.

More than 70 international participants are attending the new courses for 2016 – Resilience Action Planning – Implementing the Sendai Framework at the Local Level. In English and Spanish. This is part of UNITAR’s efforts to enhance education and learning of world practitioners in disaster risk management. This year the course features the Sendai Framework and its linkages with the Sustainable Development Goals, and uses the Resilient Cities Connect Platform. Moreover, it shares the draft Urban Local Urban Indicator for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience. Next session in August 15 (Spanish), Sep 5 (English).

Building Partnerships in Northeast Asia

More than 800 DRR policymakers from China, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Philippines and Qatar benefited from ONEA-GETI training on the implementation of the Sendai Framework. Business and Korean students also actively participated in risk reduction activities.

Increasing capacity for Incheon Government Officials

The Ministry of Public Safety and Security of Korea addressed the priorities for Disaster Risk Reduction to Disaster-safety Headquarters’ Incheon officials. ONEA-GETI facilitated and orientation workshop which was attended by 100 participants. Disaster Risk Reduction to Disaster-safety Headquarters’ Incheon officials. ONEA-GETI facilitated and orientation workshop which was attended by 100 participants.

UNISDR ONEA-GETI Newsletter 9: January- March 2016

More than 800 DRR policymakers from China, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Philippines and Qatar benefited from ONEA-GETI training on the implementation of the Sendai Framework. Business and Korean students also actively participated in risk reduction activities.

Korean students learned about Sendai Framework

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction calls upon governments to engage with children and youth, and to promote their leadership. It is very clear in the instrument that children and youth are agents of change. The Incheon Metropolitan City has been bringing the Child-Friendly Sendai Framework program to the Korean students.

Developing a Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery Plan in Qatar

The State of Qatar is working towards increasing their capacities to face disaster whether natural, accidents, or technological. The Government is committed to the idea that policies and procedures should go beyond reducing the current risks to prevent the accumulation of new risks. UNISDR Regional Office for Arab States and ONEA-GETI experts were deployed to support the country’s commitment.

Enabling the Sendai Framework in Mongolia

Mongolia is striving to develop its long term development strategy 2015 -2030. Fundamental to this process is a set of actions, including supportive and integrated legislative and policy environment; a financial investment in disaster risk reduction development plans and programmes; and engagement with the key actors and sectors.

Piloting Sendai Framework Local Indicators in Indonesia

ONEA-GETI is supporting Yogyakarta City to pilot the Sendai Framework Local Indicators for effective local implementation. Following the Training of Trainers, national facilitators assisted 7 districts in Indonesia in applying the City Resilient Scorecard.

China, Japan, and Korea joined efforts for education and training

Following the 4th Trilateral Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management and its commitment to advanced training and experience sharing between China, Japan, Korea and Mongolia, representatives met in Seoul to discuss current Sendai Framework implementation and explore in detail the expected role States in its implementation.

Korean cites committed to build disaster risk management capacity

16 Local Governments from Busan Metropolitan City, the second largest city after Seoul, got together to learn about risk management. The Cities' main risks are related to technological and natural hazards such as typhoons, floods and landslides, among others. Given their common exposure and risk profile, Busan City called for joint training with ONEA-GETI and their government officials.

Tehran and Mashhad Cities embrace the Sendai Framework

700 high level participants representing different regions of Iran attended the session on “Implementing Sendai Framework at Local Level through City Resilience Action Planning” that enhanced their understanding on practical implementation of the Framework at national and local level in the country. It is expected that UNISDR ONEA-GETI will further collaborate to scale up learning in the country.

From Business Continuity to Risk Reduction Business Practices in Samoa

This first of its kind workshop, a joint effort of the Government of Samoa, the Chamber of Commerce, and the UNISDR, brought practical tools for businesses to learn about disaster risk management and strengthen collaboration in risk reduction with the Government. Emphasis was placed on reinvesting in safe infrastructure, implementing the building codes, securing back-up storage in safe locations, and implementing scenarios and drills for staff to support the business profitability and improve local economy in the face of hazards in the island.

Philippine trainers trained on Sendai Framework implementation

Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council members have developed a pool of professionals to help roll out Sendai implementation at national and subnational level. Among the tools used, participants pilot tested the draft Sendai Framework indicators.

UNISDR ONEA-GETI Newsletter 8: July-December 2015

In the last six months of 2015, ONEA-GETI facilitated nineteen trainings with practical case studies to respond to the increasing demand for implementing the Sendai Framework across Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America reaching up to 784 participants, representing 23 nationalities.

Resilience calling: The private sector answers

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 highlights the importance of the role of the private sector and public-private partnership in making business and our communities more resilient. In the Korean city of Incheon, the private sector is listening and ready to engage.

Following a second workshop in Incheon with representatives from the Russian Ministry of Education, the Institute of Development of EMERCOM and Bauman Moscow State Technical University, The Russian Federation has committed to scale up urban resilience and capacity building in 2016. They aim to engage 25 Russian cities in the Making Cities Resilient campaign, develop joint workshops with ONEA-GETI and adapt training of trainer courses for national government, cities and academia.

27 national officials, experts in comprehensive disaster risk management, building resilience, climate change, meteorology and related areas in the Dominican Republic have committed to training. The trainees will serve as faculty of the National School of Risk Management.

DRR represents business opportunity

Korea’s advance towards a national integrated public-safety communications network has been heralded as an example of how disaster risk reduction represents a major business opportunity. The country aims to launch its world-leading system – the so-called Public Safety Long Term Evolution (PS-LTE) network – in 2017, and several commercial bids are expected from various major telecommunications carriers to implement the ambitious project.

Indonesia explores stronger public-private partnership

Indonesia is a vast nation with tremendous capacity as well as a multitude of disaster risk. GETI partnered with government officials and senior representatives from business and civil society to highlight important principles for resilient business as well as next steps to build a stronger public-private partnership for national resilience.

38 trained to scale-up resilience in Potenza, Italy

The Province of Potenza, Italy, a UNISDR Making Cities Resilient Advocate already recognized for its network approach to engaging all city and local authorities together with civil society organizations, has trained trainers from 12 of its municipalities and committed to scale up capacity for effective development of local action plans under the umbrella of the Provincial Territorial Coordination Master Plan.

Spain - Local Governments from Canary Islands trained in Lanzarote

Canary Islands are taking strong action to build their resilience to disasters. UNISDR ONEA-GETI made available its practical case studies and tools to the department of disaster risk reduction and cities resilient of the University of la Laguna to scale up the learning through Spain and abroad.

GETI partner engages in quake drill

A Metro Manila-wide earthquake drill tested the preparedness of people and organisations across the Philippines capital. GETI partner SM Prime took the simulation seriously as part of its ongoing commitment to DRR

Fiji business reveals 'can-do' attitude to DRR

Nadi is Fiji's tourism hub and home to the island nation's main international airport. Thirty-two senior representatives from the city's private sector community joined GETI for a two-day workshop on Making Your Business Disaster & Climate Resilient.

SM Prime launches Green Film Festival

Key private sector GETI partner, SM Prime, has kicked off a Green Film Festival for high school students to raise awareness on of the environment and climate change. Hundreds of public secondary school students watched the first documentary released for the festival at the SM Megamall cinema, in Manila, Philippines.

Joint Review of ONEA-GETI

UNISDR's ONEA-GETI is five years old this November. As part of the process to renew our excellent partnership with the Korean Government (Ministry of Public Safety and Security) and the City of Incheon, a Joint Review of the Office was conducted.

Indonesia focuses on urban resilience

GETI supported Indonesia's National Authority for Disaster Management (BNPB) to deliver a three-day high level training for 30 officials on urban resilience. The initiative is part of GETI's scaled-up 2015 programme under the new Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction

Private sector partner focuses on disability

Tourism sector takes DRR lead in Da Nang

Typhoons and several other hazards are an increasingly common fact of life for the business community of Da Nang, Central Viet Nam. Protecting investment is a higher priority for the city's business community, particularly its booming tourism industry.

GETI supports cities resilience in Armenia

UNISDR's Incheon office supported Armenia's impressive roll-out of the global Making Cities Resilient” global campaign at a three-day event in Yerevan to help create a database of instructors in the country.

Disaster costs focus private sector attention

The Final Report of the 'Make Your Business Disaster & Climate Resilient' forum in Tblisi, recounts the USD14 billion in direct economic losses suffered in Georgia since 1975 has made it an issue the private sector can no longer afford to ignore.

Georgian business embrace disaster resilience

Forty representatives from the private sector in Georgia attended a two=day 'Make Your Enterprise Disaster and Climate Resilient' workshop in Tblisi. ONEA-GETI teamed up with the International Chamber of Commerce in Georgia to deliver the successful forum.

UNISDR ONEA-GETI Newsletter 6: Jan-March 2015

UNISDR highlights disaster risk to cities

Head of UNISDR ONEA-GETI Sanjaya Bhatia (pictured right) highlighted UNISDR's thriving Making Cities Resilient Campaign at the World Congress of Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI). Their World Congress - titled 'Sustainable Solutions of an Urban Future' - attracted several mayors and thousands of delegates to Seoul, Korea.

UNISDR ONEA-GETI Newsletter 5: World Conference Special

Up to 100 GETI alumni were present in Japan for the World Conference where the new Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction was adopted. The future is a busy and exciting one for GETI. Catch up on some of the key issues here

Foreign Ministers reaffirm disaster management as priority

The first meeting in three years between the Foreign Ministers of China, Japan, and South Korea in Seoul affirmed their collective commitment to strengthened trilateral cooperation on a number of issues including disaster management. GETI has been working closely with the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat in this area. Most recently a joint workshop was held here in Incheon (pictured) to strengthen urban resilience in cities from each of the three countries.

Korea-US exchange to strengthen response coordination

GCF highlights climate adaptation link to DRR

The Green Climate Fund - our neighbours in G-Tower, the home of international organisations in Songdo New City, Incheon - told the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction that human and economic losses because of climate‐related disasters need to be significantly reduced.

Your own personal guide to the World Conference

GETI alumni on #ROAD2SENDAI

Several members of GETI's alumni will be taking the #ROAD2SENDAI both in spirit and substance. Here Alexey Chirikov, the Dean of Russia's Civil Defence Academy, signals his support for global disaster resilience efforts from a chilly Moscow.

All disasters are local

All disasters, even the bigger ones, are ultimately local in their impact. This presents a huge opportunity for GETI in its work to support the building of local capacity. Will the hundreds of policymakers who will meet at the World Conference on DRR in March 2015, in Sendai seize the moment? Read this blog on the WCDRR website from GETI's Andy McElroy

Pacific business embrace disaster resilience

GETI held its second Make Your Business Disaster and Climate Resilient forum, in Suva, Fiji. A range of businesses, including strong representation from critical infrastructure entities such as the airport, port and water utilities, engaged in a step-by-step planning of their risk.

NE Asian cities share disaster risk experience

UNISDR ONEA-GETI Newsletter 4: Nov-Dec 2014

GETI was delighted to host a senior official from Sendai, Japan, the host city of the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction at a major forum in partnership with the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat here in Incheon

109 Korean cities join campaign

Senior officials from 73 Korean cities attended a two-day forum on Urban Risk Reduction and Resilience at GETI in December. Those present included representatives from the new Ministry of Public Safety and Security. At the event nine local municipalities joined UNISDR's Making Cities Resilient campaign bringing the total number of Korean cities in the initiative to 109

UNISDR ONEA-GETI Newsletter 3: Sept-Oct 2014

GETI provided support to a senior member of Pakistan’s National University of Science and Technology Risalpur campus, the first faculty in the country to offer a Master's course in disaster risk management. Dr Naeem Shahzad was one of 25 practitioners working at the ‘DRR frontline’ who participated in a GETI Capacity Development for Making Cities Resilient course run in partnership with CIFAL Jeju and UNITAR

UNISDR ONEA-GETI Newsletter 2

In the first seven months of 2014, GETI facilitated resilience action planning at nine forums in Armenia, India, Mongolia, Philippines, Qatar, and Republic of Korea, for more than 500 city and national DRR practitioners and policymakers from more than 26 countries

GETI supports Ministry's resilience agenda

Armenia's Ministry of Emergency Situations teamed up with GETI to help propel efforts at city and national level to address disaster risk across the country. The country ie emerging as a model of resilience planning in action.

City moves from training room to real world

GETI's trainings are not just theory and concepts that quickly evaporates into thin air. We bring international experience to the table and engage with cities and ministries at the 'coal face' of practice. Take a look at this draft resilience action plan from Stepanavan, Armenia, which is guiding policy and practice on the ground.

GETI makes the Business Case for DRR

GETI strengthens links with Central Asia

GETI has worked hard over recent months to strengthen links with Central Asia and the Caucasus with a series of events. The HFA2 consultation in April 2014 enabled the region's voice to be heard on what the priorities should be in the post-2015 Framework for DRR.

Resilience action planning in the heart of Manila

The municipality of Muntinlupa is nestled in the extraordinarily vibrant - yet vulnerable and exposed - metro Manila area of the Philippines. City leaders, with the support of GETI, are seeking to build on local capacity and strengthen their approach to building resilience.

New Delhi moves to strengthen resilience

City planners and DRR practitioners from the Indian capital of New Delhi have begun pinpointing actions to reinforce the Ten Essentials of UNISDR's Making Cities Resilient Campaign, with the support of GETI

UNISDR ONEA-GETI launches newsletter

GETI has launched a thrice-yearly newsletter to keep pace with its expanding portfolio of capacity building work and to better link up with its global alumni of more than 500 DRR policymakers and practitioner around the world.

Korea champions Resilient Cities Campaign

The Republic of Korea is at the forefront of UNISDR's Making Cities Resilient Campaign. GETI Head Sanjaya Bhatia told the Korean Herald that the country should be proud of the global lead it is providing in building city resilience.

GETI teams up with KOICA

KOICA brought officials and practitioners from nine countries convened to the Central Civil Defence and Disaster Management Institute (CDI) of Korean NEMA in Cheonan city for two weeks of training. GETI worked with the group for three days on issues of urban resilience.

Jeju hosts city learning forum

Fifteen DRR practitioners from eight Asian countries made the most of excellent facilities of the UNITAR CIFAL-Jeju centre to swap experience at a GETI-facilitated forum to strengthen resilience in April 2014. We'll be back there in October 2014 to repeat what was a vibrant four days.

Cities share experience to reduce disaster risk

Twenty-five top officials from cities in seven countries converged on the GETI conference centre and shared their vast experience of reducing the exposure and vulnerability to disasters of their citizens.

GETI supports mayors in Haiyan recovery

The Philippines is one of the key partner countries for GETI and a resilience action planning workshop in 2014 helped mayors who are battling with complex issues on the ground focus on the essentials of disaster risk-sensitive recovery.

Making Cities Resilient Campaign Mayors' Handbook in Korean language

Ninety-eight Korean municipalities are now part of the global Making Cities Resilient Campaign and more are set to join. This Korean language version of the handbook is a key reference for local government leaders working to make their communities more resilient.